Breaking the Code - 2017 Rewritten Edition
by 1230james
Summary: After three moons of peace past the Dark Forest war, the Clans are rocked by a critical, new prophecy. On the ground, four kits are born in ThunderClan. Jayfeather realizes one of the kits resembles Half Moon. A turn of life-changing events which challenge the Warrior Code are about to unfold. Will the Clans survive challenging their Code, or will it lead to instability and chaos?
1. Preface

**Breaking the Code**

\- Preface -

 _Please note that this is a_ _preface , meaning that this is not part of the actual story. The real story begins in the next chapter._

This fanfiction is a rewritten version of an original version written in mid-2014 by a JayxHalf-obsessed me in 8th grade. It spanned thirteen chapters and contained 14,243 words. After three years, I am back to retell a story of a similar plot.

The original story involved some things I now consider undesirable in my own literature (most notably the existence of relatively poor grammar. I remember one line that read, "Halfkit sneaked into the medicine cat den." In addition, some unrealistic elements, such as one point where Jayfeather was thought to have been killed, was buried, then showed up later perfectly fine. Realistically, he would have suffocated.), so I intend to recompose the story with an improved plot and more content. You can imagine how rushed the story was when you realize each chapter had only a little over 1,000 words each. I feel like this story deserves the penmanship from an author more mature and knowledgeable rather than some silly 14-year-old middle school student.

The new story, I hope as I write this preface before beginning to plot out the story, will have more words per chapter, more chapters, a slower-paced plot, plot points that make logical sense, improved language, and overall, a better experience for the reader.

I understand that most of the Warriors community consists of growing elementary and middle school students who are easily entertained by lower-quality literature found on the internet, and that's just fine. I also realize that there are older audiences, such as high school students, and perhaps even young adults, who enjoy reading literature such as those found here [FanFiction]. I feel like all readers should be able to enjoy what any author writes if the content is appropriate for all audiences, and I wish not to disappoint, confuse, and/or bore older readers with fast plot lines, poor language, and illogical events. I hope I can please as many audience members as I can.

As for you, always remember that reviews are for giving the author critical feedback. I don't mind if I get plenty of reviews that say things like, "OMG WOW XD Branchpelt is soooo funny!" but I do like to see feedback from users who have valuable input.

I'd like to thank and apologize to those users who gave such reviews in the past, calling me and my original story out for being generally poor in quality. Obviously, as a naïve kid, all I did was disregard them as they came in. I hope that many of you who criticized it will see this and see the new and improved version of the same story you once read.

To those of you who read the original as it was written and now are reading this new version, I hope you enjoy this one as much as (and hopefully more than) the original.

To the new readers, I ask you to stay and give this story a chance. If you read the original then please don't be deterred by the poor quality, and I hope you find the remake far more enjoyable.

A little bit more about the story itself: it takes place about three moons after the Dark Forest battle. Chronologically, this means it takes place shortly after _The Last Hope_ , but far before the events of _The Apprentice's Quest_. Be prepared for any spoilers for _Into the Wild_ , _Dovewing's Silence_ , and anything in between. The _Breaking the Code_ story plot is basically just about a reincarnation of Half Moon being born in ThunderClan, and how she and Jayfeather go about attempting to start a liberalist movement to amend the Warrior Code to allow an exception for medicine cats to have mates.

The original story, now titled _Breaking the Code – 2014 Legacy Edition_ , is available on my profile. I suggest readers to avoid reading it before finishing this edition of the story to avoid (1) spoilers and (2) a poor reading experience. It merely exists as an artifact of my personal history, and for user availability for any user who needs it.

* * *

I'd like to extend my thanks to a number of key individuals. Firstly, an elementary school friend named John who introduced me to the Warriors series. Without him, I wouldn't have met plenty of lovely people over the years, nor would I have the pleasure of writing this story.

Secondly, my friend Michael who introduced me to deviantArt, where I would go to make more friends and colleagues, and connect with previous ones. It also provides me with another medium for which I am able to publish chapters of this story, allowing greater feedback output.

Thirdly, my girlfriend (I met her on deviantArt) who was the amazing artist who drew the cover for this submission. She is also a great motivation to convince myself to work on projects and other tasks to the best of my ability.

Fourthly, a friend who used to go by the alias "xxSus-Chanxx" (at the time of writing this preface, she went by "Jaddels") who owns all intellectual rights to Bitterfrost as an original character, who made an appearance in the original _Breaking the Code_ as well as this one.

If you read through this whole thing, then good for you. I appreciate your time and attention.  
I sincerely hope you, and everyone else who reads this, will enjoy the 2017 Rewritten Edition of _Breaking the Code_.


	2. Chapter 1 - New Kits

**Breaking the Code**

\- Chapter 1: New Kits -

The sun was setting on the horizon over the Lake Territories. The sky, lit with a bright orange tint, was clear, except for a few thin clouds that drifted by. It had been approximately three moons after The Great Battle and the fiasco with the Dark Forest cats. After the war, tensions among the Clans were at an all-time low. That was to be expected, after all, following a pan-Clan effort to battle against the Dark Forest, and with the advocacy for rapid redevelopment to return to the normal way of Clan life. This peace would not, and could not, last forever. Nevertheless, for the time being, it persisted.

Down in the ThunderClan camp within the medicine cat's den, Jayfeather was busying himself with the organization of his medicinal herbs. Having finally taken care of all injuries and finished sending other Clans extra supplies when prompted, he had the opportunity to restore his den to maximum cleanliness and efficiency. Indeed, it's the classic "a place for everything and everything in its place" mentality. He had begun to work from the mid-afternoon that same day, and continued working until the sky had begun to turn dark blue. He stepped back, proud of himself for all his hard work.

"Finally finished," said Jayfeather. "How does it look, Briarlight?"

"It looks great, Jayfeather!" she replied, "Maybe now I can stretch my legs out without you complaining that I might be trampling some of your herbs."

"Hilarious," he remarked sarcastically. He got up and thought for a moment, then he turned to Briarlight and asked, "Could you check on how many borage leaves we have? Dovewing's and Cinderheart's kits should be born soon."

Briarlight shuffled herself from the den entrance, where she had lied down, over to Jayfeather. She took a quick scan of their stock.

"There's a decent amount left, but you might run out soon."

The gray medicine cat nodded in acknowledgement. He stood around for a brief moment before padding to the den entrance.

"I'll go get myself something to eat," he declared before stepping out of the den.

The activity in the camp had begun to die down for the day, as most of the members returned to their dens. Several were enjoying a final meal before heading to sleep, while others were preparing for the night watch. Stars had begun to appear in the sky, and the bright shine of the pure white half moon became increasingly prevalent as the sky transitioned from dark blue to purple to black.

Jayfeather picked up a mouse from the fresh-kill pile, and then turned to head back to the medicine cat's den. On his way back, he stopped by the nursery and poked his head inside. Dovewing and Cinderheart were lying in their nests, both of who had been pregnant with kits for the past moon. He put his mouse down and sat.

He greeted the two queens, "Good evening, you two. Is everything okay?"

Dovewing responded first, "Everything's fine, Jayfeather."

"Couldn't be better," Cinderheart added. She shuffled in her nest. "Although, I do wonder when my kits will arrive."

Dovewing smiled. "You've been wondering that every night, Cinderheart." She added sarcastically, "Can't you wait for just a _single_ night without asking?"

The gray she-cat nudged Dovewing in retaliation. "Hey, having kits isn't some daily activity! I bet you can't wait for your kits, too!"

Jayfeather stood up again. "I'll leave you to this. Just shout if you need anything." He proceeded to pick up his mouse and exit the den.

He heard Cinderheart begin to purr and speak again. "I hope my kits grow to be fine warriors like Lionblaze…" Her voice faded as Jayfeather walked across the camp back to his own den.

When he entered the medicine cat's den again, he saw Bramblestar lying next to Briarlight. The two looked up at Jayfeather as he walked in.

"Hello, Jayfeather," he said. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

The gray tom sat down and began to eat his mouse. "Sure, go ahead."

Bramblestar moved his tail around with periodic motions as he began to say, "I was wondering if you would be alright with picking an apprentice when Dovewing's or Cinderheart's kits are born and reach six moons of age. You and Leafpool won't be alive forever, you know."

"That doesn't mean I'm _that_ old," Jayfeather scoffed. "Leafpool and I are doing just fine right now."

"Alright, alright, I get it. At least think about it for now, alright?" the leader replied. He stood up and walked towards the den entrance. "Good night, you two. Jayfeather, have a safe trip to the Moonpool." He exited the den.

 _Apprentices. Meh._ Jayfeather thought to himself. _Most of them are annoying. Why bother to have one in the first place?_

He was about to finish his mouse when he heard Dovewing yowling from the nursery. His ears perked up towards the noise. _What was that?_

Just then, Bumblestripe came crashing through the den entrance with a look of panic on his face.

Jayfeather looked at him skeptically. "What's wrong?"

"It's Dovewing!" Bumblestripe exclaimed, "I think her kits are coming!"

The medicine cat stood up and the two ran towards the nursery. _About time those kits were born_.

* * *

Dovewing was curled up in her nest feeling immense pain. Lionblaze was sitting next to her trying to comfort her. He looked up as Bumblestripe and Jayfeather entered the nursery.

"Thank StarClan you're here!" Lionblaze looked down at Dovewing again. "She was fine just a few moments ago, and now this!"

"Help!" she yelped desperately, "Th-the kits, they're coming—" She was broken off by a jolt of pain.

Jayfeather quickly rushed to her side. "Lie down straight, and calm your breathing." She did as she was instructed to, and the medicine cat felt around her body. "It's the kits. Bumblestripe, go fetch a stick."

"On it," he replied. He ran out in search for a stick.

Jayfeather then turned to Lionblaze and said firmly, "When the first kit comes, I want you to lick it the wrong way. Don't ask; it's for safety reasons. You got it?"

"I got it." Lionblaze watched and waited for the first kit.

Dovewing let out a screech of pain. "The first kit— it's here!" Instinctively, she tried to push. A small head appeared, but its body did not.

Jayfeather pressed gently on Dovewing's flank. "Push harder, it's almost there!"

She replied, "I'm trying!" She gave one more strong effort as the kit was born and tumbled onto the soft moss in the nest. Following directions, Lionblaze began to lick the kit the wrong way. It was a predominately-light blue-gray female kit with a white belly. She coughed and curled up while Lionblaze kept licking.

Bumblestripe then returned with a stick. He put it down in front of Dovewing. "Alright, now what?"

"Dovewing," Jayfeather began, "Bite down on this stick while the next kit comes to try to ease the pain a little. Bumblestripe, I want you to do what Lionblaze is doing right now and lick the kit the wrong way when the next kit is born, alright?"

The couple nodded in acknowledgement. Bumblestripe walked over to Lionblaze and waited for the next kit.

Dovewing bit down on the stick while letting out a groan. "Another kit—" She pushed and kept pushing with all her might. Slowly, another kit appeared from within.

Bumblestripe spoke, "Just a little more, Dovewing! The kit is almost here!" He watched as the last kit slid out and tumbled onto the mossy nest. Bumblestripe began to lick it immediately, and the kit coughed and came alive. It was a light gray female kit.

Dovewing let go of the stick and her breathing became calm. "There… that feels like all of them." She turned around and began to lick the light blue-gray kit; the kit huddled closer to her and mewed. "She's so adorable," Dovewing remarked.

Cinderheart looked at the two kits and smiled, "Congratulations, Dovewing! You're a proud mother of two."

"Thank you," she replied warmly. Dovewing curled herself around her new kits to keep them warm.

 _Now that that's over with…_ Jayfeather thought. He spoke, "I'll leave now. I have to get to the Moonpool tonight."

He got up to leave but was startled when Cinderheart suddenly cried out. _Cinderheart, too?_ He rushed to her side, "Your kits, too?"

Cinderheart could only nod. She reached for the stick and bit down on it as her body rippled. Lionblaze rushed over to her side. She pushed hard, and after a few moments, a male kit tumbled out into the nest. Lionblaze licked the kit, and it coughed. It was brown.

She pushed again while biting down harder on the stick. Little by little, a second kit's head pushed out.

"A bit more, Cinderheart," Jayfeather said. He monitored Cinderheart as she pushed again.

With one final effort, the second kit tumbled down onto the nest as the biting force from the gray queen split the stick. Jayfeather hesitated from licking the kit at first, but began to lick it anyway, seeing that everyone else present was preoccupied with something else. The kit was purely white and female. It coughed and huddled under the warmth of Jayfeather's tongue.

Once Cinderheart recovered, she took over licking the kit. The kit mewed and curled up. Lionblaze brought the brown kit to Cinderheart's side and placed him down to embrace the warmth from his mother.

"You got what you wished for," Dovewing remarked. "Two lovely kits after a moon of talking nonstop about them."

"Yeah," Cinderheart replied. "I hope they grow to become the strongest warriors in the Clan." She paused for a moment. "So how should we name them?"

The brown kit rolled over and bumped into a branch lying next to the nest. It felt around the tip of it curiously. Lionblaze picked him up and put him down closer to Cinderheart again.

"I think he just named himself. This will be Branchkit," said Lionblaze.

The blue-gray kit found an herb on the floor. She ate it and made somewhat of a grimace.

Dovewing spoke, "Looks like she ate something bitter. Poor thing." She licked the kit's forehead. "Bitterkit, maybe?"

Bumblestripe picked up the light gray kit. "She looks like mist. I want to name her Mistkit."

Cinderheart turned to face her other kit. "What about my white kit?"

Everyone pondered for a moment. Jayfeather thought, so _it's a white kit, huh? What else is completely white…?_

Then an idea struck him. He began to talk and said, "What about Halfkit?"

Cinderheart nodded, catching on immediately. "After the half moon tonight, right?" She licked the kit. "I like it. It's a nice way to remember how beautiful the moon is." She paused for a moment. "And hopefully it'll mean that she grows to be a beautiful warrior."

Lionblaze looked around the nursery. "So it's settled, then?" The others nodded in agreement. He continued, "Branchkit, Halfkit, Bitterkit, and Mistkit; our newest additions to ThunderClan!"

Jayfeather stood up and headed to the nursery entrance. "Congratulations on your kits, everyone." He took a step out and called backwards behind him, "Tell me if you need anything when I return."

He departed from the nursery and the ThunderClan camp to travel to the Moonpool. He spent the journey thinking about the newborn kits as the half moon and stars shined brilliantly above his head in the night sky.

* * *

\- Author's Notes -

People are making remarks that Jayfeather don't know what colors are because he's blind. On the surface, this sounds true; however, I want to make you aware of three concepts:

Firstly, Jayfeather is _not_ blind during his dreams. We can assume he has full color vision (full to the extent of cats can see) during these dreams, exposing him to what colors are.

Secondly, it can be inferred that Jayfeather could have learned what colors were based on context of other character. Colors are adjectives, and a blind character could hear the sentence structure of other characters, and learn adjectives such as "blue", "white", "gray", and other words (that we understand as colors) were used to describe something. From there, it would not be too difficult to compare two objects by color by noting how two objects are described. For example, it would be feasible to think that he was told what color the moon is at some point and was able to connect that with Cinderheart saying, "What about my **white** kit?" because both the moon and Halfkit are described as "white." (I purposefully made her include the color white in that dialogue for this exact reason.)

Thirdly, this story is not told solely in the first person perspective. All the adjectives are provided for the reader from an omniscient point of view, not from a first person point of view of Jayfeather. After all, he's blind. He wouldn't be able to see the sunset, the clouds, the moon, etc. on a regular basis.


	3. Chapter 2 - Reunion

**Breaking the Code**

\- Chapter 2: Reunion -

By now, the moon shone intensely among the stars in the black night sky. The chilly winds blew as the ambient temperature dropped, and the forest was completely still – except for the sound of a lone gray medicine cat trekking toward the WindClan border. Jayfeather walked along his familiar route, thinking about the newborn kits.

This was not any ordinary trek, though. Jayfeather seemed to be in extremely deep thought about the new kits, perhaps even bothered. In particular, he found himself constantly thinking about Halfkit. _Halfkit… Halfkit…_ Jayfeather repeated the name in his head. _She's white and her name is Halfkit. Some might think that Halfkit is Half Moon…_ He paused and shook his head. _No, that's a coincidence._ Any _kit could be white and named after a half moon._ He began to walk again. _…I wonder if her eyes will be that familiar shade of green—?_

"Hey, Jayfeather!" a she-cat's voice suddenly rang out, disturbing Jayfeather's thoughts. He turned toward the voice. He heard a group of cats approach him, then the voice continued, "Hey, Jayfeather, how have you been?"

The she-cat speaking was Mothwing, accompanied by Kestrelflight and Littlecloud. Jayfeather responded, "Fine, thanks." The group of four continued onwards to the Moonpool.

Kestrelflight jogged up to Jayfeather's side. "We've been looking for you. Where have you been? It usually doesn't take you this long to get out here."

"I was busy dealing with Cinderheart and Dovewing kitting," the ThunderClan medicine cat replied.

Littlecloud sounded astonished. "Cinderheart _and_ Dovewing?" He shook his head. "Two queens giving birth simultaneously? That must be something."

"You live that long and haven't dealt with anything like that?" Jayfeather remarked, "Your life sounds boring."

The ShadowClan medicine cat laughed, "Makes my work easier than yours, at least."

Mothwing spoke again, "So, how are the kits? What are they like?" She seemed more interested in foreign Clan life than the trip to the Moonpool.

"Just two pairs of kits," Jayfeather began, "One tom, three she-kits. The tom's brown, and the she-kits are either blue-gray, white, or light gray."

"That sounds nice. How about their names?" she asked.

"Branchkit's the tom, Bitterkit's the blue-gray kit, Halfkit's white, and Mistkit is gray."

Kestrelflight responded this time, "Interesting. Makes me wonder where all the names came from."

"You ask the creative geniuses who named them, not me," Jayfeather said. He thought to himself. _Well, I named Halfkit, though… wait, did I just insult myself?_

Littlecloud interrupted, "ShadowClan has two new kits as well!"

This excited Mothwing. "Tell me about them!"

"Grassheart's kits were recently born," the ShadowClan medicine cat continued, "They're named Rockkit and Seedkit. Rockkit's a gray tom, and Seedkit's a brown she-cat with a white stomach."

Mothwing purred, "That sounds really nice! I can't wait to meet them during a future Gathering."

The group of four trekked onwards, discussing general topics along the way. Life in every Clan had been calm and lively since the Great Battle. Reorganization efforts truly brought Clan members closer to one another.

By the time the medicine cats arrived at the Moonpool, the moon was directly above their heads. The temperature had dropped to as low as it would drop for the night, and the stars shone brightly as if StarClan were more eager than usual for the medicine cats' trip to the Moonpool this time around. Following proper tradition, they each touched the sacred water in the pool, then lied down next to it.

Mothwing gave Jayfeather a look. _At least_ someone _here gets decent sleep every now and then_ , he thought.

Jayfeather slowly drifted off to sleep. He opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by starry terrain and vegetation. He took a deep breath. _Back in StarClan. I wonder what news Firestar or Yellowfang will bring me this time._ He began to pad forward when he suddenly heard a voice ring out.

"Jayfeather!"

He turned his head around toward the noise. _Huh. I've never heard that voice around here before… but it sounds awfully familiar…_ He cautiously walked toward the source of the voice. He approached a bush, and then carefully stepped through it. His eyes widened when he noticed who was standing on the other side of the bush.

" _Half Moon_?" he exclaimed, "Is it really you?"

The white she-cat stepped closer and touched noses with Jayfeather. "It's me, Jayfeather. I've come to speak with you."

The usually grumpy medicine cat was feeling ecstatic, and did not seem to notice that Half Moon spoke. He licked her cheek and asked, "Why are you here in StarClan?"

Half Moon replied, "I said I needed to speak with you, silly." She nudged him gently. "It's important."

"Of course," Jayfeather nodded and sat down. "What's going on?"

"Jayfeather," she began. She stopped, and briefly asked, "Is it alright if I call you that? The other cats around here tell me that's your current name…"

"That's fine," he stated.

"Okay, then. Right, so… I came here to talk to you about Halfkit. She's an… _interesting_ character."

Jayfeather's ears perked up. "Oh, Halfkit? Cinderheart says her looks are a lot like yours. Is there something wrong about her?"

"Well, not something _wrong_ about her, but rather… _special_. You did point out that she resembles me, which is true." Half Moon stopped and smiled. "Now, what do you think that could mean?"

Jayfeather looked skeptical. "What, do you think I'm stupid enough to assume that Halfkit's somehow related to you? What are the odds? Anyone could be born a white cat. Just ask Cloudtail!"

"Don't be silly," the white she-cat said, "I met a Cinderpelt while I was here, and she says Cinderheart was a reincarnation of herself. It's possible, don't you see?"

The gray medicine cat was still filled with doubt. "But that was a rare occurrence. No one else that we know of was a reincarnation of another cat."

"But can't you see the similarities?" Half Moon asked. "Anyone else would say that the similarities are really close. Even the name that you gave to her is similar!"

Jayfeather rolled his eyes and remarked sarcastically, "Yeah, and I suppose Squirrelflight will have a kit that's a reincarnation of Firestar which she'll name 'Firekit' or 'Flamekit.'"

Half Moon sighed, "You'll see soon enough, Jayfeather. You'll see." She paused for a moment. "I want to tell you two things before you go."

The gray tom stood up. "What is it?"

The white she-cat looked at him sternly. "Change is coming, Jayfeather; radical changes that will cause a rift in the current peace. I know how much you enjoy the peace now that the Great Battle is finished, but you need be prepared for great conflict."

Jayfeather was suspicious. "Conflict? Don't be foolish. What kind of conflict would happen right now? The odds of that are extremely low."

"It may not seem obvious now, but you _must_ be prepared for it." Half Moon looked away slightly. "…you might find it particularly more significant than you might think."

He tilted his head in curiosity. "What do you mean by that? Why would it be more significant?"

She stood up and ignored him. "I must go, Jayfeather. It's almost time for you to leave."

Jayfeather pouted. "You didn't tell me about the second thing you said you would tell me about. If you won't explain to me what you said just now, at least tell me this."

"Ah," Half Moon said, "That's simple; Halfkit is unconscious right now."

"… _what?_ Unconscious?" Jayfeather stood up with a look of concern on his face. "I should get going."

The white she-cat nuzzled him and whispered into his ear, "Goodbye, then." She stepped back. "Stay safe, and take care of Halfkit for me."

The last thing Jayfeather saw before waking up again was a faint, yet sweet smile on Half Moon's face as the starry environment gradually faded away.

He slowly opened his eyes and sat. The wind was still blowing and the air was chilly. Mothwing, trying to keep her manners, struggled to refrain from yawning. Littlecloud and Kestrelflight exchanged worried glances.

"Radical changes… and a rift in the peace?" Littlecloud said, "Huh, and just when I thought I finally might get some decent rest after the battle."

Kestrelflight shook his head. "Whatever it is, it sounds serious. We best report this to our leaders and stay on the edge of our paws for anything suspicious."

Mothwing stood up and began to exit from the Moonpool area. "Best to not keep them waiting any longer, then." The other three cats followed her.

Jayfeather jogged ahead of the group. Mothwing asked, "Hey, where are you going?"

He turned around and replied, "StarClan was finally straightforward with me for once and said one of the new kits is suffering right now!"

A look of worry spread across Mothwing's face. "All right, then. Just don't go too fast so we don't lose you!"

Jayfeather scoffed, "I think we all know our way around here, thank you very much. I don't need your help, and you don't need mine." He continued to return to the ThunderClan camp at an increased pace.

* * *

Jayfeather walked back into the camp to hear sounds of distress emanating from the nursery. He hurried inside to see Cinderheart curled up around Halfkit. She looked up as he walked in.

"Thank StarClan, you're here!" she exclaimed, "Halfkit isn't waking up!"

Jayfeather sat down next to her. "Move over so I can have a look."

He began to inspect the kit, searching for any signs of life. He noticed that she was breathing, albeit slowly and shallowly. He gently began to lick the kit the wrong way, and almost immediately, Halfkit sputtered. Cinderheart's eyes widened as she watched her kit come alive again.

The gray queen purred in relief and began to lick Halfkit. "Thank you so much, Jayfeather! I was so worried…"

Halfkit coughed and laid a paw on Jayfeather. "J… Jaywing?"

Cinderheart giggled, "No, little one, this is Jay _feather_ , not Jay _wing_. You should know better, especially after he just saved your life."

However, Jayfeather was stunned. _Did she just say Jaywing? There's no way that can be…_ he paused his thoughts. _No, it's just a silly, mouse-brained coincidence. A little kit could easily mix up "feather" and "wing."_

He stood up. "I should get going to sleep now. It's late." He turned to exit the nursery. "Call me if you need any help." He stepped out and returned to his den.

* * *

Several days later, Jayfeather was sitting outside the nursery eating a mouse. It was a warm morning, and the warmth from the sunlight pleased the medicine cat. He carefully listened as his clanmates toiled about in their daily tasks.

He finished eating, and then stood up. He was about to return to his den when he heard Cinderheart squealing from within the nursery. "Look! My kits are opening their eyes!"

 _Eyes. Meh._ Jayfeather thought to himself. _At least their eyes actually work on a regular basis._ Curious, he decided to step inside the nursery anyway. Cinderheart was purring loudly and was licking Halfkit's ears. Dovewing and Lionblaze were looking down at the kits, who were getting their first looks at their surroundings.

"Aren't they adorable?" Cinderheart asked.

"They're almost as pretty as your eyes, Cinderheart," Lionblaze responded. The gray queen looked away shyly.

Jayfeather sat down and looked in Cinderheart's direction. "So, do you mind telling me how they look, now that you've gotten me intrigued enough to come in here?"

"Oh, sure!" she replied happily. "Branchkit's eyes are a bright shade of blue…" She paused to lick the little brown kit's forehead. He mewled in response, then Cinderheart continued, "…and Halfkit has clear, dark green eyes."

Jayfeather froze in astonishment. "D-did… did you just say _green_?!"

Lionblaze looked at him skeptically, "They're green. Is something wrong with that?"

The medicine cat ignored him, as his mind was racing with thoughts as he reached a single conclusion. _First, she's purely white, then we named her Halfkit. Last night, she called me Jaywing instead of Jayfeather. No one else has called me anything similar to that besides the Ancients when they referred to me as Jay's Wing, and now Cinderheart tells me Halfkit's eyes are_ green? _...there's no denying it any further. Halfkit_ has _to be Half Moon._


	4. Chapter 3 - The Decision

**Breaking the Code**

\- Chapter 3: The Decision -

Three moons had passed since the birth of Cinderheart's and Dovewing's kits. It was a bright, warm, and sunny Newleaf morning, and the camp was filled with busy warriors going about their tasks. Some were preparing to depart on a patrol, and several others were eating their morning meals. (There was also Cloudtail in the warriors den still trying to drag himself out of his nest after sleeping in a little bit too much.)

Three of the four kits were on the side of the camp next to the nursery. Branchkit and Bitterkit were playing by rolling around a small ball of moss while Mistkit sat near the nursery entrance watching a butterfly flutter around her.

Halfkit stepped out of the nursery, having finally woken up. She watched as the moss ball bounced past her with Branchkit in pursuit of it. She looked the other way and spotted Mistkit and the butterfly. She decided to go and sit next to Mistkit.

"Hi, Mistkit!" Halfkit said, "What are you doing?"

"Hi there, Halfkit," Mistkit replied, "I'm just watching that." She looked toward the butterfly.

"Has the dawn patrol left yet?" Halfkit asked.

Mistkit nodded. She remarked, "I wish I could go on a patrol, too. They sound really cool!"

"Me too," the white kit replied.

The two of them watched the butterfly fly around slowly in front of their faces. At some point, it finally landed on the ground. Mistkit bent down to get a closer look, when a voice rang out, "Get out of the way!"

The moss ball bounced in front of Mistkit and missed the butterfly by a kitstep. The little insect fluttered away while Branchkit ran after the moss ball.

"Watch out!" Those were Branchkit's final words before he crashed into Mistkit and the two tumbled over onto the ground.

Bitterkit silently padded up to them and said quietly, "O-oh… I'm so sorry… I should have aimed better…" she let her voice fade away while speaking, then looked away shyly.

Mistkit pushed Branchkit aside and sat up. "It's fine, as long as we're not hurt."

Branchkit examined himself. "I feel fine. You?" Mistkit nodded in response. The brown kit then looked around, and asked, "…so, where did the moss ball go?"

Just then, Jayfeather walked up to the four kits with a ball of moss in his mouth. He put it down next to them. "I believe this is yours?"

Bitterkit nodded silently, then rolled the ball toward with her paws. She began to roll it around in small circles before Branchkit snatched the ball away and rolled it off in another direction.

The medicine cat grumbled, "How about you look where you aim that thing next time before you go shooting that off, you little…" He cut himself off as he smelled Halfkit's scent. "…whatever, just don't bother me again like that." He briskly stood up and walked back to his den.

Mistkit ran after the ball. "Come on, Halfkit, let's play!"

"Um… I'm fine," she responded.

While the other three kits were busy entertaining themselves with the moss ball, Halfkit was distracted with her thoughts. _Why does Jayfeather always act so strangely around me? He's usually crabby, but as soon as he realizes I'm around him, he changes._

Mistkit pounced on the ball and trapped it beneath her paws. "I've got it!" Branchkit began to attempt to get the ball back.

Bitterkit sat down next to Halfkit, then looked at her curiously, noting the disturbed look on the white kit's face. "I-is something the matter?"

"I'm concerned about Jayfeather," Halfkit replied, "Have you noticed that he always acts strangely around me? Every time he's around you guys he looks annoyed, but as soon as _I_ show up, he's like a completely different cat."

Bitterkit nodded quietly. "Maybe he knows something about you that none of us know."

"But what could that possibly be?" Halfkit pouted. "I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"

The moss ball rolled toward them, then Bitterkit caught it with her paw. "Maybe you could go, um… a-ask him about it? I mean, it can't hurt to…" Bitterkit's voice faltered as Branchkit approached to take the ball.

"You know," Halfkit declared, "I think I _will_ go ask him. Thanks for the idea, Bitterkit!" She stood up and walked to the nursery.

The little white kit padded to Cinderheart. "Can I go visit Jayfeather in the medicine cat's den? I want to ask him something."

The gray queen smiled, "Of course, little one, go ahead." She paused, then added jokingly, "Just make sure you don't ask him anything stupid."

"Okay!" Halfkit replied. She left the nursery and walked to Jayfeather's den.

Briarlight noticed Halfkit walking in and greeted her, "Hi, Halfkit." Jayfeather, upon hearing the greeting, was startled. The brown she-cat continued, "Why are you here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to talk," the kit replied. She lied down next to Briarlight and thought for a moment. "Could you tell me about your legs? I've always wondered why you never used them."

"That's a long story," Briarlight said. "Basically, there was this one cat named Longtail, and…" She began to tell the kit all about how the tree fell as Briarlight had tried to save Longtail.

Halfkit talked with Briarlight for a while, discussing various topics from the Great Battle to what the old forest territories were like based on descriptions Briarlight had heard from older warriors. During these talks, Jayfeather was feeling a little uneasy in the rear of the den. He kept glancing back toward Halfkit and appeared to be deep in thought.

Finally, Halfkit stopped and looked at Jayfeather. "Hey Jayfeather, what's the matter?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied. He looked away again.

The kit wasn't convinced. She stood up, moved over to the medicine cat and sat down. "I don't believe you. You're always acting strangely whenever you notice that I'm nearby. Why does that keep happening?"

The gray tom refused to answer. He ignored the kit and continued working.

Halfkit pressed again, "Why do you keep acting strangely when I'm around? There's something about me, isn't there? Something that I don't know about myself that you know?"

Jayfeather, irritated, responded, "Can you shut up? Can't you see that asking me over and over won't convince me to tell you something that you don't even know exists?"

Briarlight frowned. "Hey, don't be rude! She's only a kit—"

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the camp entrance. Everyone in the medicine cat's den froze and turned toward the entrance of the den. Poppyfrost quickly rushed into the den and shouted, "A badger is attacking us!"

Halfkit was paralyzed. _A badger?! What am I going to do? What if I get hurt? Are my friends hurt?_

Jayfeather and Briarlight acted quickly. The medicine cat briskly picked Halfkit up and moved into the herb stores to hide. Briarlight did the same. The kit was scared but also curious. She crawled to the entrance of the store and peered outside. Through the entrance of the store and the den, she watched as the warriors who were once idling in the camp a few moments ago were now fiercely fighting the badger.

Due to the angle at which she was viewing the battle from the herb stores, Halfkit could not see most of the battle. She primarily listened, hearing the grunts from the badger as it tried to attack the warriors. Occasionally, one of the ThunderClan warriors would be visible from her point of view. She saw Poppyfrost claw at the badger with Ivypool for a few moments before the battle disappeared from sight. A few moments later, she spotted Lionblaze running around to flank the badger. Yowling was heard soon after.

The battle did not last long. The sounds of the badger began to fade away as she heard Millie vehemently drive the invading creature away from the camp.

A few moments later, Purdy poked his head into the den. He laughed when he spotted Halfkit. "Now what are y'all doing back there? Hidin' from that sorry thing that just waltzed in a moment ago?"

Jayfeather and Briarlight moved out from the herb stores. Halfkit, trembling slightly from the experience, slowly crawled out.

The elder continued, "You folks alright? I presume you are, being holed away in the back the whole time."

The medicine cat responded, "We're fine, thanks." He faced Halfkit. "She seems a little shaken up, though."

Halfkit curled up on the ground. "I-I'm fine! Just a new experience, that's all. I'll be back to normal in a few moments."

"If you say so." Purdy exited the den. He was heard making a remark outside, "Woah! An' what in the world happened to you?"

Then, Lionblaze limped into the den with a leg bleeding somewhat heavily. "Mind giving me some help?" He lied down in a vacant nest.

Jayfeather began treating his wounds immediately. "Hm… nothing life-threatening, thank StarClan. You're going to be holed up in here for the time being, though."

As he was being treated, Lionblaze sighed. "So, how's life without your powers anymore? This is probably the first time I've had to come in here, isn't it?" Jayfeather simply rolled his eyes in response.

Halfkit watched intensely as Jayfeather worked to heal Lionblaze swiftly and calmly. _It's almost as if it's as easy as breathing for him…_ Halfkit thought to herself. She stared in awe, noting every small move the medicine cat made. _I want to be able to help my fellow clanmates like that!_ She paused her thoughts. _…you know, fighting isn't really my thing, now that I think about it. I don't think Bramblestar would want some cowardly warrior who hides in a den when something as silly as a_ badger _attacks. But maybe if I were a medicine cat, then I could be of use…!_

Several moments went by before Jayfeather finally stopped and sat down. "There. Feeling any better?"

Lionblaze nodded. "Thanks, Jayfeather." He shuffled his injured leg a little. "Although, I do have to get used to getting hurt like this after battles…"

Halfkit purred. "That was really cool, Jayfeather! You made Lionblaze feel as good as new!" She pawed and smiled at Jayfeather, "I want to be like _you_ some day."

The gray medicine cat looked away shyly. "Er… thanks…" He looked out the den entrance. "Why don't you run along back to Cinderheart? She must be worried for you since you've been in here all day."

The white kit nodded in acknowledgement. "Bye!" she said as she left the medicine cat's den and returned to the nursery.

Later that evening, Halfkit could hardly sleep. She was too busy thinking about what a life as a medicine cat would be if she were one.

* * *

The next morning, Halfkit walked out of the nursery. She saw Branchkit crouched down on the ground observing a worm. The worm sat still in the cool, morning earth. Branchkit gingerly touched the worm and it began to wriggle on the ground away from him.

The brown kit looked up as Halfkit approached him. "Hi, Halfkit. What's up?" He looked at her face, then commented, "Yikes, you seem tired."

"I didn't get that much sleep last night, that's all," she replied.

Branchkit tilted his head in curiosity. "How come? I don't see any reason why you would get little sleep."

Halfkit shuffled her paws nervously. "I… I was thinking about becoming a medicine cat in the future instead of a warrior."

"A medicine cat? Why?"

Halfkit sat down and explained to Branchkit how awestruck she was while watching Jayfeather work on Lionblaze yesterday. She described her growing feelings against fighting and her passions to be able to help cats instead of hurting them. The brown kit listened to the whole speech, nodding occassionally in acknowledgement.

When she finished, Branchkit placed a paw on Halfkit's shoulder. "You do you. If being a medicine cat is what you think StarClan wants you to be, then do it." He smiled. "Whatever makes you happy, okay?"

Halfkit purred, "Thanks, Branchkit." She stood up and turned toward the medicine cat's den. "I'll go ask Jayfeather if I can be his apprentice in a few moons."

When the white kit entered the den, Bramblestar and Jayfeather were talking in the center. They stopped and turned toward the kit as she marched in.

"Hello, Halfkit," Bramblestar said, "What brings you here? Are you sick?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied, "I just wanted to ask you two something…"

The ThunderClan leader tilted his head in curiosity. "Well, what is it?"

"I…" Halfkit said nervously, "I want to be a medicine cat! A-and I want to be Jayfeather's apprentice!"

Bramblestar smiled. "Great, because I was just talking to Jayfeather about picking an apprentice." He turned to Jayfeather and asked, "What do you say?"

The gray medicine cat only turned his head away shyly for a few moments, appearing to be deep in thought about something. After a moment, he responded, "…fine. I'll take her as an apprentice." He turned his head back and snapped, "B-but only because _you_ keep pestering me about it, Bramblestar."

Halfkit beamed. _I get to be his apprentice! I get to be his apprentice! I'll become a medicine cat and I'll be able go help my clanmates after battles—_

Bramblestar nudged the kit. "I know you're happy, but you still have three more moons to go before you become an apprentice. Go and play with the other kits, okay?"

"Okay," Halfkit responded. She padded out of the medicine cats' den gleefully and headed toward the other kits to tell them about the start of her journey as a medicine cat.


End file.
